Forget the jolly old fat man in the funky red suit. The real Santa looks a lot more like 55-year-old College Park businessman Dudley Powell and his 8-year-old son, Gray. On Christmas Eve day, they loaded their car with presents for children who otherwise wouldn't have any - no matter how they ranked on the naughty-or-nice scale - and made deliveries from home to home. "This is what makes our Christmas," said Powell, a volunteer for the nonprofit One Heart for Women and Children.

•I'm ticked off at the people who are now ticked off at the new governor after they voted for him. •I'm ticked off that the glass eyesore overlooking I-4 is not finished yet. Either finish it or tear it down. •I'm ticked off at people who sit in handicapped seats on the bus who are not handicapped. •I'm ticked off that if you don't have a computer in this country you're treated like a second-class citizen. •I'm ticked off that traffic signs are not posted in Spanish.

With a makeshift memorial for Caylee Marie Anthony piling up with toys, her family announced Sunday that it would donate the hundreds of stuffed animals to charity. The toys will go to the Orlando Union Rescue Mission, a charity that helps homeless families. However, other items such as letters, flowers and trinkets will remain at the site in tribute to the slain toddler. "The Anthony family knows that what Caylee would want is for some other children to have these gifts," said Brad Conway, the Anthonys' attorney.

UMATILLA -- Giving Toy Box, a charitable group whose members collect and give out new or lightly used toys to needy kids during the holiday season, can hardly keep up with the need for toys in Lake. "We expect this year with the economy like it is, to have even more people in need," said Beth Getchell, who heads the charity. "We have a hard time getting enough toys." That's the motivation behind a four-day fall festival that begins today at First Baptist Church of Umatilla, 550 Hatfield Drive.

Who knew that a burst pipe could bring a community together? That's what happened in New Smyrna during the holidays. New Smyrna Harbour Club helped medical academy students from New Smyrna Beach High School collect toys and clothes for 25 needy families in Volusia County. The club also helped secure $30 gift cards from Publix Super Markets Inc. in Lakeland and $50 gift cards from the Wal-Mart store in New Smyrna Beach for each of the families as well. Two days before the donated toys were to be delivered, a water pipe burst at the school -- where the collected items were being stored -- and damaged all the donations.

Last month the Center for Science in the Public Interest threatened to sue McDonald's if it didn't stop using toys "to lure small children" to Happy Meals. They described the small plastic toys as "advertisements" that are "unfairly and deceptively" marketed towards children. The context, of course, is the epidemic of childhood obesity, what has seen obesity skyrocket in recent decades. Advocates now say the food industry has to own part of the problem. But supporters of McDonald's say the meals now include healthier options and that parents should be the ones who determine what their children eat. What's your view?

I love Christmas. I hate Christmas. Don't you? Leaving aside the religious aspect of the holiday, it's a struggle to find the right gifts for the right people. One guy I know solved the dilemma this way for years: Sweaters. Sweaters for everybody. Sweaters all around. Sweaters every year. They fit nicely in a box. Slap on a bow. You're done. Getting truly creative, however, means risking a brush with the bizarre. Consider the gift to the Ritchie Resort and Sunshine Sanatorium from a friend in North Carolina last year.

Christin Rivas, 14, was fascinated by the small, round toy magnets that you can sculpt into shapes and use to perform magic tricks. Put a pen on a desk, hold a magnet underneath and watch the pen move across the desktop. While playing with a couple of these rare-earth magnets at her Satellite Beach middle school last week, Christin needed both hands to grab something, so she decided to hold the mini-magnets in her mouth. Someone made her laugh, and … gulp. She swallowed the magnets.

It's only September, but Toys "R" Us thinks it's the right time for parents to get started on their Christmas lists. The company last week unveiled its plans and promotions for the holiday season - which, it seems, is starting earlier every year. Loyalty program members can earn 10 percent back on toy purchases through Oct. 31. The cash back will come in the form of an e-gift card in November. The toy retailer is also offering free layaway through Dec. 15 and this year, Toy "R" Us is allowing payments on its website.

A two-day junior golf open will be held Aug. 7 and 8 at Mission Inn Resort & Club, 10400 County Road 48, Howey-in-the-Hills. The tournament is free to Lake County Junior Golf Association participants. All other junior golfers are welcome. Cost $25. Divisions are boys and girls ages 13 and younger, 14 to 16, and 17 to 18. To register or more information, call the pro shop at 352-324-2024, Ext. 7275. • Celebration Golf Management is offering its Summer Kids Play Free program at eight of its golf courses in Central Florida including Kings Ridge and The Legends, both in Clermont, and Redtail in Sorrento.

Clickorlando.com is reporting that a woman who videotaped George and Cindy Anthony selling what's been described as their slain granddaughter's toys at a Mount Dora yard sale in June is now under scrutiny for making the secret recording. Mark Lippmam, an attorney for George and Cindy Anthony, said they are looking into whether Christina Werner violated the couple's rights when she recorded them without their knowledge. Werner bought what she said were Caylee Anthony's toys, as well as items once owned by George and Cindy's daughter, Casey Anthony, during a yard sale on June 28 and 29. Radaronline.com first reported on the yard sale.

There was a time when the young, neophyte filmmaking auteurs of the day would grab their Kodak movie cameras, insert their Super 8 film cartridges and get to work on their glorious storyboarded versions of visual storytelling. Francois Truffaut, Martin Scorsese, David Lynch, Steven Spielberg and a host of other directing greats got their start in filmmaking this way. Of course, Andy Warhol made his artistic mark with the same equipment and the same kind of time-honored labor of elementary lens work.

School officials questioned a 5-year-old boy for two hours for bringing a toy gun with him on a school bus, which ultimately resulted in his suspension, according to the Washington Post. The kindergartner's parents say they weren't present during the two-hour interrogation session that caused their son to "uncharacteristically" wet his pants. They think school officials in Calvert County, Md. reacted too harshly and they are working with a lawyer to reverse the punishment and get the 10-day suspension expunged from the child's school record.

With her upbeat personality, Darlene Avera brought sunshine into the lives of the sick and distressed through her volunteer work. "She was dedicated to everybody," said her only child, James Avera of Longwood, who noted her work for Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children and Ronald McDonald House. "The young, the sick, the elderly, anyone in the hospital, she cared about them and would try to cheer them up. And she always succeeded. She was good at what she did. " Avera, of Orlando, died Sunday of natural causes.